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92–609PDF 2004

PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMISSION IN

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ASSIST PARLIAMENTS

IN EMERGING DEMOCRACIES; AND WELCOMING THE ACCESSION

OF BULGARIA, ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, ROMANIA,

SLOVAKIA, AND SLOVENIA TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY

ORGANIZATION [NATO], AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

MARKUP

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

OF THE

COMMITTEE ON 

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H. Res. 543 and H. Res. 558

MARCH 17, 2004

Serial No. 108–76

Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations

(

Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international—relations 

(II)

COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS 

HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman 

JAMES A. LEACH, Iowa 

DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska 

CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey, 

Vice Chairman 

DAN BURTON, Indiana 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN, Florida 

CASS BALLENGER, North Carolina 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

EDWARD R. ROYCE, California 

PETER T. KING, New York 

STEVE CHABOT, Ohio 

AMO HOUGHTON, New York 

JOHN M. MCHUGH, New York 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri 

THOMAS G. TANCREDO, Colorado 

RON PAUL, Texas 

NICK SMITH, Michigan 

JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania 

JEFF FLAKE, Arizona 

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia 

MARK GREEN, Wisconsin 

JERRY WELLER, Illinois 

MIKE PENCE, Indiana 

THADDEUS G. MCCOTTER, Michigan 

KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida 

TOM LANTOS, California 

HOWARD L. BERMAN, California 

GARY L. ACKERMAN, New York 

ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGA, American 

Samoa 

DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey 

ROBERT MENENDEZ, New Jersey 

SHERROD BROWN, Ohio 

BRAD SHERMAN, California 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York 

BARBARA LEE, California 

JOSEPH CROWLEY, New York 

JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

SHELLEY BERKLEY, Nevada 

GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California 

ADAM B. SCHIFF, California 

DIANE E. WATSON, California 

ADAM SMITH, Washington 

BETTY MCCOLLUM, Minnesota 

CHRIS BELL, Texas 

THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel 

ROBERT R. KING, Democratic Staff Director 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

DOUG BEREUTER, Nebraska, Chairman 

DAN BURTON, Indiana 

ELTON GALLEGLY, California 

PETER T. KING, New York 

JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia 

THADDEUS G. McCOTTER, Michigan 

ROY BLUNT, Missouri 

ROBERT WEXLER, Florida 

ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York 

WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts 

BARBARA LEE, California 

JOSEPH M. HOEFFEL, Pennsylvania 

EARL BLUMENAUER, Oregon 

VINCE MORELLI, Subcommittee Staff Director 

JONATHAN KATZ, Democratic Professional Staff Member 

PATRICK PRISCO, Professional Staff Member 

BEVERLY HALLOCK, Staff Associate 

(III)

C O N T E N T S 

Page

MARKUP OF: 

H. Res. 543, Providing for the establishment of a commission in the House 

of Representatives to assist parliaments in emerging democracies ................. 2

H. Res. 558, Welcoming the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 

Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

(NATO), and for other purposes .......................................................................... 19

Amendment to H. Res. 558 offered by the Honorable Doug Bereuter, a 

Representative in Congress from the State of Nebraska, and Chairman, 

Subcommittee on Europe ................................................................................. 25

LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD 

The Honorable Doug Bereuter: Prepared statements ...........................................13, 23

The Honorable David Price, a Representative in Congress from the State 

of North Carolina: Prepared statement on H. Res. 543 .................................... 16

(1)

PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A COMMISSION 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ASSIST PARLIAMENTS IN EMERGING DEMOCRACIES; AND WELCOMING 

THE ACCESSION OF BULGARIA, ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, ROMANIA, SLOVAKIA, AND SLOVENIA TO THE 

NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION [NATO], AND 

FOR OTHER PURPOSES 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2004

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. 

The Committee met, pursuant to call, at 4:07 p.m. in Room 2172, 

Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Doug Bereuter presiding. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Pursuant to notice, I call up the resolution, H. 

Res. 543, for the purposes of markup. Without objection, the resolution will be considered as read and open for amendment at any 

point. 

[H. Res. 543 follows:]

2

1

IV

108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 543

Providing for the establishment of a commission in the House of

Representatives to assist parliaments in emerging democracies.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

FEBRUARY 26, 2004

Mr. PRICE of North Carolina (for himself, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. DREIER, and

Mr. FROST) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Providing for the establishment of a commission in the House

of Representatives to assist parliaments in emerging democracies.

1 Resolved,

2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

3 This resolution may be cited as the ‘‘House Commis4 sion For Assisting Democratic Parliaments Resolution’’.

5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

6 The House of Representatives makes the following

7 findings:


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•HRES 543 IH

1 (1) Since its founding, the United States has

2 championed the development of democracy around

3 the world.

4 (2) Indeed, beginning with the Continental Con5 gress and continuing through the modern Congress,

6 representative institutions have served as a critical

7 component through which the American people have

8 expressed their views on policy issues and through

9 which the power of other government branches has

10 been balanced.

11 (3) Establishing democratic institutions in

12 other countries is in the national interest of the

13 United States and constitutes a goal of United

14 States foreign policy.

15 (4) For democracies to mature and to with16 stand cyclical turnover in government, strong gov17 ernment institutions, particularly national legisla18 tures with appropriate infrastructure, are critical.

19 (5) Furthermore, the legislative branches of

20 governments of emerging democracies are largely

21 comprised of new legislators, citizens from many

22 walks of life, who face the challenges of creating new

23 democratic systems without the benefit of previous

24 legislative experience. The legislatures of these fledgVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 ling democracies lack training, equipment, or re2 sources to carry out their work effectively.

3 (6) Currently, many parliaments do not possess

4 the necessary technology, such as modern computer

5 equipment, software, or access to databases and

6 electronic resources, to facilitate the timely flow of

7 legislative information to lawmakers and legislative

8 staff.

9 (7) Parliaments in fledgling democracies also

10 frequently lack trained staff to provide nonpartisan

11 policy information, to draft legislation, and to advise

12 legislators on policy matters.

13 (8) Newly democratic parliaments may lack the

14 resources to establish internal libraries, reference

15 materials, and archiving capabilities for use by legis16 lators and staff.

17 (9) From 1990 through 1996, the United

18 States House of Representatives, in conjunction with

19 the House Information Systems Office (later known

20 as House Information Resources) and the Congres21 sional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of

22 Congress, provided equipment and technical assist23 ance to new parliaments in Central and Eastern Eu24 ropean countries, including Albania, Bulgaria, the

25 Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, LithVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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1 uania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and

2 Ukraine in an effort to develop and strengthen those

3 institutions.

4 (10) This program, commonly known as the

5 ‘‘Frost-Solomon Task Force’’, not only served the

6 United States foreign policy goal of helping to estab7 lish democratic institutions in other countries, but

8 also developed significant goodwill in the countries in

9 which it was implemented. The program was de10 signed to improve the efficiency of parliaments and

11 the professionalism of its members and staff, as well

12 as to increase transparency and accountability.

13 (11) A program similar to the Frost-Solomon

14 Task Force, which strengthens professionalism and

15 efficiency within parliaments in democratic coun16 tries, continues to be in the national interests of the

17 United States.

18 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.

19 There is established in the House of Representatives

20 a commission to be known as the House Commission For

21 Assisting Democratic Parliaments (hereafter in this reso22 lution referred to as the ‘‘Commission’’).


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1 SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSION.

2 (a) NUMBER AND APPOINTMENT.—The Commission

3 shall be composed of 8 Members of the House of

4 Representatives—

5 (1) of which 4 members shall be appointed by

6 the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and

7 (2) of which 4 members shall be appointed by

8 the Minority Leader of the House of Representa9 tives.

10 (b) TERMS OF MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REP11 RESENTATIVES.—Each member of the Commission shall

12 be appointed for a term that is concurrent with the Con13 gress in which the appointment is made. Such a member

14 may be reappointed for one or more subsequent terms in

15 accordance with the preceding sentence.

16 (c) CHAIRPERSON; VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The Chair17 person of the Commission shall be designated by the

18 Speaker of the House of Representatives from among the

19 members appointed under subsection (a)(1). The Vice

20 Chairperson shall be designated by the Minority Leader

21 of the House of Representatives from among the members

22 appointed under subsection (a)(2).

23 SEC. 5. STAFF OF COMMISSION.

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall appoint

25 and fix the pay of such personnel as the Commission con26 siders appropriate.


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1 (b) DETAIL OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH EMPLOY2 EES.—At the request of the Commission, the head of any

3 office in the legislative branch may detail any of the per4 sonnel of that office to the Commission to assist it in car5 rying out its duties under this resolution. Any individual

6 detailed by an office to the Commission pursuant to this

7 subsection shall retain the individual’s status as an em8 ployee of the office for purposes of pay and benefits.

9 (c) EMPLOYMENT OF CONSULTANTS.—The Commis10 sion may employ consultants to assist in carrying out its

11 duties as described in section 6, including individuals with

12 expertise in development of democratic parliaments, legis13 lative systems management, legislative research, par14 liamentary procedure, related legislative matters, and

15 technology systems management.

16 SEC. 6. DUTIES OF COMMISSION.

17 (a) STUDY.—

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Commission shall con19 duct an annual study on the feasibility of programs

20 of assistance for parliaments of countries described

21 in paragraph (2) for the purpose of strengthening

22 the parliamentary infrastructure of such countries.

23 This study may be conducted more frequently, if the

24 Commission so decides. The study shall assess—


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1 (A) how the parliament in each country

2 studied plays, or could reasonably be expected

3 to play, an independent and substantive role in

4 the legislative process and government over5 sight;

6 (B) how improving access to information

7 and developing independent and objective re8 search and analytical capabilities would enable

9 the parliament in each country studied to im10 prove the effectiveness of members and profes11 sional staff and would increase legislative trans12 parency and accountability; and

13 (C) how modern automation and office sys14 tems would improve efficiency and transparency

15 in the work of the parliament in each country

16 studied.

17 (2) COUNTRIES DESCRIBED.—The countries re18 ferred to in paragraph (1) are countries that—

19 (A) have established or are developing

20 democratic parliaments which would benefit

21 from assistance described in this resolution; and

22 (B) express to the United States Govern23 ment an interest to receive such assistance.

24 (3) SELECTED COUNTRIES.—From the coun25 tries studied, the Commission shall select one or


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•HRES 543 IH

1 more parliaments that it recommends should receive

2 assistance under the provisions of this resolution,

3 based on the criteria in paragraph (1).

4 (b) REPORT.—The Commission shall prepare and

5 submit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives,

6 the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, the

7 appropriate House committees, and the Administrator of

8 the United States Agency for International Development,

9 an annual report on the following:

10 (1) RESULTS OF STUDY.—The results of the

11 study conducted pursuant to subsection (a).

12 (2) COMMISSION ACTIVITIES.—In accordance

13 with the results of such study, a proposal for the ac14 tivities of the Commission in the following year, as

15 described in subsection (c).

16 (3) RECOMMENDATIONS TO USAID.—(A) In ac17 cordance with the results of such study, rec18 ommendations to the Administrator of the United

19 States Agency for International Development to de20 sign and implement programs of assistance for par21 liaments of selected countries, including rec22 ommendations to achieve the purposes of subpara23 graphs (B) through (D).

24 (B) Such programs of assistance may include—


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•HRES 543 IH

1 (i) efforts to establish or improve existing

2 libraries of parliaments of selected countries, in3 cluding, but not limited to, providing equip4 ment, Internet access, books, reference mate5 rials, government documents, periodical sub6 scriptions and databases; and

7 (ii) efforts to improve the efficiency and

8 transparency of legislation and proceedings in

9 parliaments of selected countries, including, but

10 not limited to, providing equipment, Internet

11 access, and desktop publishing capabilities.

12 (C)(i) In coordination with parliaments in se13 lected countries, USAID should develop detailed,

14 multiyear plans for providing equipment, strength15 ening library collections, and enhancing research and

16 analysis capabilities in those parliaments.

17 (ii) Plans described in clause (i) should include

18 specific goals to be achieved through the provision of

19 assistance, estimated costs of meeting the goals, the

20 conditions under which assistance should be pro21 vided, the type of equipment and resources to be

22 provided, and annual plans for assessing the extent

23 to which the goals have been achieved.

24 (D) All equipment and books that are provided

25 to selected countries should be inscribed to designate


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•HRES 543 IH

1 the items as gifts from the United States of Amer2 ica.

3 (c) ACTIVITIES.—The Commission shall work with

4 the parliaments of selected countries on a frequent and

5 regular basis in order to—

6 (1) allow Commission members and staff to

7 provide expert advice to members and staff of the

8 parliaments of selected countries;

9 (2) enable members and staff of parliaments in

10 selected countries to visit the House of Representa11 tives and its support agencies to learn about their

12 operations first-hand; and

13 (3) observe and provide recommendations re14 garding the implementation of the assistance pro15 grams described in subsection (b)(3).

16 SEC. 7. TRAVEL.

17 Members and staff of the Commission are authorized

18 to travel to foreign countries to carry out this resolution.

19 SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

20 In this resolution:

21 (1) APPROPRIATE HOUSE COMMITTEES.—The

22 term ‘‘appropriate House committees’’ means the

23 Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on

24 House Administration, the Committee on InterVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6633 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HRES 543 IH

1 national Relations, and the Committee on Rules of

2 the House of Representatives.

3 (2) EQUIPMENT.—The term ‘‘equipment’’ in4 cludes basic office and automation equipment (copi5 ers, fax, telephone answering machines, an initial

6 complement of personal computers and printers,

7 software, CD-ROMs, and auxiliary storage media),

8 and library collections and library support automa9 tion, as well as the associated training and technical

10 assistance to effectively use such equipment.

11 SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

12 There are authorized to be appropriated from the ap13 plicable accounts of the House of Representatives to the

14 Commission to carry out this resolution such sums as may

15 be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2005 through

16 2008.

Æ


92609a.AAL
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Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Wexler, with your consent, I would like to depart from normal practice and call upon the primary co-sponsor of 

the resolution, our colleague from North Carolina, Mr. Price, who 

has been working with me, and introduce this resolution, which I 

am the co-sponsor of, to create a House commission for assisting 

democratic parliaments. Mr. Price, if you would take the witness 

table, we would like very much to have your statement. Is there 

objection? 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. Hearing no objection, thank you, Mr. Wexler. 

Mr. Price, you may proceed, and your entire statement will be 

made a part of the record. Thank you very much for your appearance here today. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Bereuter follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DOUG BEREUTER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

H. RES. 543

As the primary original co-sponsor of the resolution before us, I first want to 

thank my friend, the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Price, for 

working with me and introducing this resolution to establish the House Commission 

for Assisting Democratic Parliaments. 

Having been involved in the Frost-Solomon Task Force, which undertook a similar 

effort a decade ago, I am enthused to offer this new initiative. Mr. Frost and Mr. 

Dreier join us as original co-sponsors of this resolution. 

The spread of parliamentary democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is one of 

the great success stories in recent history. Of course, the efforts by those nations 

to overthrow their communist dictatorships in some cases traces back several decades, but the rapid downfall of those regimes began after the events of 1989 and 

accelerated in the early 1990s. 

Sadly, of course, some countries that gained independence after the collapse of the 

Soviet Union and Yugoslavia simply traded communist dictatorships for new dictatorships of nationalists and former apparatchiks. However, most of these countries 

moved quickly to establish new democracies, holding free and fair elections and beginning the process of transforming their parliaments from rubber-stamp fac ̧ades 

into independent legislatures. This latter task proved easier to accomplish on paper 

than in practice. 

As we well know in this Congress, our ability to successfully legislate independently of the executive in large part depends on our access to independent information and analysis. We are fortunate to have our own staffs and support agencies to 

which we can turn to research an issue and provide alternative points of view. 

Recognizing the importance of this, the Congress has created agencies like the 

General Accounting Office, Congressional Research Service and Congressional Budget Office to provide Members with independent views and oversight. In this respect, 

the Congress is the envy of every other parliamentary body in the world. 

In the newly democratic parliaments, this capacity and expertise was lacking. 

Recognizing its importance for legislative autonomy, in 1990 the gentleman from 

Texas, Mr. Frost—an original cosponsor of this resolution—was instrumental in establishing a task force through the Speaker’s office to help develop the needed capabilities in the parliaments of the newly emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. 

In cooperation with the late gentleman from New York, Mr. Solomon, Mr. Frost 

developed and led a multi-member effort that allowed the House of Representatives 

to share with the newly democratic parliaments the expertise of Members and staff, 

especially from the Congressional Research Service. 

The task force provided modest donations of information technology-related office 

equipment and reference materials for parliamentary libraries, thereby facilitating 

the establishment of independent research services. 

The task force also helped those parliaments develop parliamentary procedures 

and legislative information systems to inform Members and the general public about 

parliamentary activities in a timely and open fashion. At a modest cost, we were 

14

able to help these parliaments become effective legislatures and play their crucial 

part in a democratic system. 

Largely because of its success, the Frost-Solomon Task Force was terminated in 

1996. However, while most of those countries that received aid have indeed become 

full-fledged democracies, others still need a helping hand. The Price-Bereuter Resolution aims to provide that assistance. 

The resolution before us would create a House Commission for Assisting Democratic Parliaments, comprised of eight House Members—four Republicans and four 

Democrats—and it would have a small staff to coordinate its activities and help 

Members determine which parliaments would most benefit from such assistance. 

Much of the expertise that these parliaments require can be found in the House 

and its support agencies, so the resolution would allow congressional offices to detail 

employees to the Commission. Recognizing that many of those who worked so effectively and energetically on the initial Frost-Solomon Task Force have retired or are 

about to retire from congressional employment, the resolution also would allow the 

Commission to use those retirees as consultants, so that parliaments can benefit 

from their years of expertise. 

In addition to providing expert advice from Commission members and staff, the 

resolution envisions a modest assistance program to provide parliaments with information technology-related equipment and with reference materials so that they can 

establish a research service and a legislative information system. Furthermore, 

when the Commission identified needs in selected parliaments, it could recommend 

that the Agency for International Development provide certain equipment, materials 

or technical assistance to enable those parliaments to become more efficient and 

transparent. 

The first task of this Commission should be to finish the work that was begun 

in Central and Eastern Europe, which is the reason I am holding a markup today 

in this subcommittee. 

I think the logical place to start would be the countries of the Western Balkans: 

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro. 

Albania was part of the original Frost Task Force, as was Ukraine, which could be 

considered under this new program, though I have some concerns about the direction of the current parliament. Georgia, with a new, pro-Western government and 

parliament, might be another country to consider. 

However, the resolution does not limit the Commission’s scope to the western Balkans and Eastern Europe. Once established, this program could expand to assist 

parliaments in other qualified countries in the Caucasus, North African, and Central Asian areas, and perhaps other parts of the world. 

For example, the United States is committed to help create representative democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

It would send a strong, positive signal if the House were to offer practical assistance to the new parliaments in those nations to help them develop as autonomous 

institutions in a democratic society. 

I was pleased to play a small part in the Frost-Solomon Task Force in the 1990s 

by participating in our trips to Albania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and the Czech 

Republic that reviewed the results of the assistance provided. 

Today, we have an opportunity to further assist in the emergence of democratic 

parliaments by enabling this House to share its expertise and to work with USAID 

to provide the necessary assistance. 

So, this afternoon I urge my colleagues to favorably report to the full Committee 

House Resolution 543, the Price-Bereuter-Dreier-Frost Resolution to create the 

House Commission for Assisting Democratic Parliaments.

Mr. PRICE. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate very much 

the chance to speak with you about this resolution and, before this, 

to have worked with you in putting this resolution together and securing co-sponsors and otherwise expediting the setting up of this 

much-needed commission, a commission that would assist parliaments in emerging democracies with various kinds of support 

and assistance from the House of Representatives. 

I will be very brief in outlining the purpose of the resolution. 

We all know the great success story that the spread of parliamentary democracy represents in Central and Eastern Europe. 

We also know that sometimes these new democracies are very fragile, that democratic institutions do not arise automatically. The 

15

U.S. Congress itself evolved over a couple of centuries, and some 

would say we have not arrived yet. Certainly, there is a painstaking kind of work and support that is required if parliamentary 

institutions are to function well. 

We are very fortunate in this House. We have a Library of Congress with incomparable resources, a Congressional Research Service. We have the latest technology, House Information Resources, 

to help us understand and use that technology. We have trained 

experts in every conceivable area. We have come a long way from 

the days when Congress was nothing more than a building and a 

few official rooms. 

Well, many new democracies are starting where we started over 

200 years ago. Members of these newly formed parliaments, the 

people they represent, have chosen democracy, and I believe it is 

our duty, as champions of democracy, to help them to build strong 

and enduring institutions. 

Mr. Chairman, from 1990 through 1996, you and I and many 

other colleagues worked with our friend, Martin Frost, the late 

Gerald Solomon, who led a House task force that provided assistance, equipment, and training to new parliaments in Central and 

Eastern European countries in an effort to strengthen those institutions. 

In the space of just a few years, the program made significant 

contributions to the development of democratic parliaments in the 

Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, seven other nations, and increased the transparency and the accountability of those institutions as well. House Members and congressional staff trained over 

2,200 members and staff in those new parliaments. At a modest 

cost, we helped those parliaments become effective legislatures. 

So, as one who participated in the Frost-Solomon Task Force, I 

found our work immensely rewarding and was struck, even moved, 

by the way the parliamentary leaders we worked with looked to the 

U.S. Congress for inspiration. 

In addition to serving our foreign policy goal of helping to establish democratic institutions, we developed extraordinary goodwill in 

the countries we worked with, goodwill that still exists today, and 

that work is still very, very important. We have a tremendous opportunity before us to continue to serve, not just as a model but 

as a partner, in strengthening democracy across the globe. 

We should begin, I believe, by finishing the work we started in 

Central and Eastern Europe, in the countries of the former Yugoslavia and other countries in the Balkan region, extend our efforts 

then, as independent functioning parliaments emerge, to Central 

Asia, the Middle East, and possibly other regions. The House has 

made clear its commitment to help create representative democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq. I believe, down the road, this commission could play a critical role in providing the support necessary 

for these and other new democracies to succeed. 

So, Mr. Chairman, I, again, appreciate your leadership on this 

and your expedited scheduling of this markup. I would be happy 

to answer any questions, but I do believe this is a resolution that 

has broad support. It has attracted good bipartisan co-sponsorship. 

I do think the time is ripe to undertake this kind of outreach effort 

with our sister democracies, and so I urge that we move the resoluVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL
16

tion forward so that, in Fiscal 2005, we can actually get this work 

underway. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Price follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DAVID PRICE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

REMARKS ON H. RES. 543, A RESOLUTION PROVIDING FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A

COMMISSION IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO ASSIST PARLIAMENTS IN

EMERGING DEMOCRACIES. 

The spread of parliamentary democracy in Central and Eastern Europe is one of 

the great success stories in recent history. 

While the House of Representatives has celebrated the fall of oppressive regimes 

and the formation of newly democratic governments, I am here today to point out 

that it also has recognized that new democracies are very fragile. 

Functioning parliamentary systems do not merely appear once a country becomes 

a democracy. Look at the U.S. Congress, an institution that has existed for over two 

centuries—in many ways, we’re still figuring things out! 

We have the good fortune of having a Library of Congress and a Congressional 

Research Service. We have the latest technology and House Information Resources 

to help us understand and use that technology. We have highly trained experts in 

every conceivable area, who we can turn to for help and guidance. We have come 

a long way from the days when Congress was nothing more than a building with 

rooms. Many new democracies are starting where we started over 200 years ago. Members of these newly formed parliaments and the people they represent have chosen 

democracy. I believe it is our duty, as champions of democracy everywhere, to help 

them build strong and enduring institutions. 

From 1990 through 1996, our colleagues Martin Frost and the late Gerald Solomon, led a House Task Force that provided assistance, equipment, and training to 

new parliaments in Central and Eastern European countries in an effort to develop 

and strengthen those institutions. 

In a brief time, the program made significant contributions to the development 

of democracies in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and other nations, and increased transparency and accountability, as well. 

House Members and congressional staff trained over 2,200 Members and staff in 

those newly established parliaments. At a modest cost, we helped those parliaments 

become effective legislatures and play their part in a democratic system. 

As one who participated in the Frost-Solomon Task Force, I found our work immensely rewarding and was struck by the ways the parliamentary leaders we 

worked with looked to the U.S. Congress for inspiration. 

In addition to serving our foreign policy goal of helping to establish democratic 

institutions in other countries, we developed significant goodwill in the countries we 

helped—goodwill that still exists today. 

That work has arguably never been more important than it is today. We have a 

tremendous opportunity before us to continue to serve not just as a model, but as 

a partner in the effort to strengthen democracy across the globe. 

We could begin by finishing the work we started in Central and Eastern Europe, 

and then extend our efforts to the western Balkans, Caucasus, Central Asia, and 

the Middle East. 

The House has made clear its commitment to helping create representative democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq, and this Commission could play a critical role 

in providing the support necessary for these new democracies to succeed. 

I hope you will join me and Chairman Bereuter in supporting this resolution.

Mr. BEREUTER. Thank you very much Mr. Price, and I would recognize myself for a few comments. 

I want to thank you for your initiative, and I remember well our 

participation in the previous Frost-Solomon Codel. Mr. Frost and 

Mr. Dreier join us as original co-sponsors. 

I ask unanimous consent that my entire statement be made a 

part of the record. 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. Hearing no objection, I will just hit a few additional points or perhaps a few reiterating points. 

17

Mr. Frost really was instrumental in establishing a task force, 

through the Speaker’s office, to help develop the needed capabilities 

of parliaments in newly emerging democracies of Central and Eastern Europe. And you pointed out how fortunate, indeed, we are, 

Mr. Price, in having the capabilities that this Congress has to assist us in legislation and oversight. They are unmatched in the 

world. 

The task force provided modest donations of information, technology-related office equipment, reference material for parliamentary libraries, thereby facilitating the establishment of independent 

research services. The task force also helped those parliaments develop parliamentary procedures and legislative information systems 

to inform members and the general public about parliamentary activities in a timely and open fashion. At a modest cost, we were 

able to help these parliaments become effective legislatures and 

play their crucial part in a democratic system. 

Largely because of its success, the Frost-Solomon Task Force was 

terminated in 1996. However, while most of those countries that 

received aid have, indeed, become full-fledged democracies, others 

still need a helping hand. The Price-Bereuter Resolution, I think, 

aims, of course, to provide that assistance. 

The commission itself would be comprised of eight House Members, four Republicans, four Democrats, would have a small staff to 

coordinate its activities and help Members determine which parliaments would most benefit from such assistance. I think that 

much of the expertise that these parliaments require can be found 

in the House itself and in our support agencies, so the resolution 

would allow congressional offices to detail employees to the commission. 

Recognizing that many of those who worked so effectively and 

energetically on the initial Frost-Solomon Task Force have retired 

or are about to retire from congressional employment, the resolution would also allow the commission to use those retirees as consultants so the parliaments can benefit from their years of expertise. 

I think the first task of the commission would be to finish the 

work, as I mentioned, already begun in Central and Eastern Europe, where that needs to be the case, and the logical place to start, 

then, after that would be the countries of the Western Balkans: Albania, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Albania was part of the original Frost Task Force effort, 

as was Ukraine, which could be considered again under this new 

program, although I have some concerns about the direction of the 

current parliament with respect to Ukraine. Georgia, with a new, 

pro-western government in parliament, might be another country 

to consider, and there is no reason why, in fact, this kind of assistance could not be given to the countries of the Caucasus, North African, and Central Asian regions. And, of course, we are committed 

to help create representative democracies in Afghanistan and Iraq. 

I recall visiting Albania, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Czech 

Republic to review the results of the assistance provided, and I was 

very heartened, as were Members, on a bipartisan basis, of what 

had been the result of our effort. 

18

So I urge my colleagues to favorably report to the Full Committee House Resolution 543, the Price-Bereuter-Dreier-Frost Resolution to create the House Commission for Assisting Democratic 

Parliaments. 

And I would recognize now the distinguished Ranking Member 

of the Subcommittee, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Wexler, for 

a statement but also to ask any questions he might wish to of Mr. 

Price or myself. Mr. Wexler. 

Mr. WEXLER. Amen. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I take it, you are ready to move to markup, then. 

Mr. WEXLER. Thank you. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Are there any amendments? 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. Hearing none, then the Chair will now entertain 

a motion that the resolution be reported favorably to the Full Committee. A question occurs on the motion to report the resolution to 

the Full Committee favorably. All of those in favor will say aye. 

[A chorus of ayes.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. Those opposed, say no. 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. The motion approved. The bill is reported favorably. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. Price. 

We will now move to the second item on our markup agenda 

today. Pursuant to notice, I call up the resolution, H. Res. 558, for 

purposes of markup. Without objection, the resolution will be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. 

[H. Res. 558 follows:]

19

1

IV

108TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 558

Welcoming the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania,

Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO), and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 11, 2004

Mr. BEREUTER (for himself, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. GILLMOR, and Mr. SHIMKUS)

submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee

on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Welcoming the accession of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia to the North

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and for other

purposes.

Whereas since 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

(NATO) has played an essential role in guaranteeing the

security, freedom, and prosperity of the United States

and its allies in Europe and North America;

Whereas since 1994 Congress has repeatedly endorsed the enlargement of NATO through the NATO Participation Act

of 1994, the NATO Enlargement Facilitation Act of

1996, the European Security Act of 1998, the Gerald B.

H. Solomon Freedom Consolidation Act of 2002, the

Transatlantic Security and NATO Enhancement ResoluVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00023 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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2

•HRES 558 IH

tion of 2002, and House Concurrent Resolution 209

(2003);

Whereas NATO heads of state and government, meeting in

Prague on November 21, 2002, invited Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia

to commence accession negotiations with NATO;

Whereas on March 26, 2003, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia signed accession

protocols to the Washington Treaty of 1949;

Whereas on May 8, 2003, the Senate voted 96–0 to give its

advice and consent to ratification by the United States of

the seven accession protocols;

Whereas on March 2, 2004, NATO Secretary General Jaap

de Hoop Scheffer announced that all 19 NATO members

had deposited with the United States Government their

instruments of ratification of the accession protocols;

Whereas Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia have reformed their political and economic systems in preparation for NATO membership;

Whereas Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia have undertaken defense reform programs that will enable each country to contribute to

NATO operations and are working to meet the financial

responsibilities of NATO membership by spending or

committing to spend at least two percent of their gross

domestic product on defense;

Whereas Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia have contributed to NATO operations

in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Afghanistan;

Whereas Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia are scheduled to become members of


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3

•HRES 558 IH

NATO on April 2, 2004, and are expected to be welcomed by NATO heads of state and government when

they meet in Istanbul on June 28 and 29, 2004;

Whereas Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia, the remaining

countries currently in NATO’s Membership Action Plan,

signed the United States-Adriatic Charter on May 2,

2003, thereby affirming their commitment to the values

and principles of NATO and their desire to join the Alliance at the earliest possible time;

Whereas in 2003 Congress, in House Concurrent Resolution

209, urged NATO to invite Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia to join NATO as soon as each of these countries

respectively demonstrates the ability to assume the responsibilities of NATO membership through the Membership Action Plan;

Whereas the Governments of Albania and Macedonia supported Operation Iraqi Freedom and are contributing

forces to stabilization operations in Iraq and to the

NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan; and

Whereas the Government of Croatia elected in November

2003 has demonstrated its commitment to implementing

reforms and meeting conditions for integration into EuroAtlantic institutions, including the defense reforms necessary for NATO membership, and has contributed forces

to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force

in Afghanistan: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) welcomes with enthusiasm the accession of

3 Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, SloVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6601 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL

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•HRES 558 IH

1 vakia, and Slovenia to the North Atlantic Treaty Or2 ganization (NATO);

3 (2) reaffirms that the process of NATO en4 largement enhances the security of the United

5 States and the entire North Atlantic area;

6 (3) agrees that the process of NATO enlarge7 ment should be open to potential membership by any

8 interested European democracy that meets the cri9 teria for NATO membership as set forth in the 1995

10 Study on NATO Enlargement and whose admission

11 would further the principles of the Washington

12 Treaty of 1949 and would enhance security in the

13 North Atlantic area; and

14 (4) recommends that NATO heads of state and

15 government should review the enlargement process,

16 including the applications of Albania, Croatia, and

17 Macedonia, at a summit meeting to be held no later

18 than 2007.

Æ


92609b.AAE
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Mr. BEREUTER. I do have an opening statement. I want to thank 

the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee for co-sponsoring the 

resolution and helping me to move it forward in a bipartisan fashion. 

The Bereuter-Wexler Resolution welcomes the accession to NATO 

membership of seven Central European democracies: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia. In the 

past few days, I have learned that the actual date of accession will 

now be March 29th, and there will be ceremonies here in Washington to mark the occasion. 

The resolution also reaffirms the support of the House for the 

process of NATO enlargement and for keeping NATO’s door open 

to all democratic democracies in Europe which seek to meet the criteria for NATO membership. 

I have a recitation of what has happened, the amazing movement 

forward of the three countries already brought into NATO in recent 

years and the progress being made by the seven that will shortly 

join NATO in meeting the criteria, both written and unwritten. I 

think it has been a dramatic, successful story. 

Beyond that, we have three other candidate nations at this 

point,—Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia—and we are not forgetting those countries. All three have contributed forces to the NATO 

mission in Afghanistan, Albania, and Macedonia, and they have 

forces in Iraq as well. In addition, the resolution notes the commitment of the new Croatian government to implement the necessary 

reforms for membership in NATO and the European Union. 

And I would ask unanimous consent that the entire statement be 

made a part of the record. 

[No response.] 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Bereuter follows:]

PREPARED STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DOUG BEREUTER, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF NEBRASKA, AND CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON EUROPE

H. RES. 558

As the sponsor of this resolution, I first want to thank the Ranking Democratic 

Member of this Subcommittee, the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Wexler, for co-sponsoring this resolution and helping me to move it forward in a bipartisan fashion. 

This Bereuter-Wexler resolution welcomes the accession to NATO membership of 

seven Central European democracies: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. In the past few days, I have learned that the actual date 

of accession now will be March 29th, and there will be ceremonies here in Washington to mark the occasion. 

The resolution also reaffirms the support of the House for the process of NATO 

enlargement and for keeping NATO’s door open to all European democracies who 

meet the criteria for NATO membership. 

The decision to admit former communist nations from Central and Eastern Europe into the Atlantic Alliance is one of the great successes of American and Alliance foreign policy since the end of the Cold War. It is a bipartisan success, promoted by Republicans and Democrats in the Congress and by both the Clinton and 

Bush administrations. It is also a success in which the House of Representatives has 

played an important role. 

Since 1994, the House has repeatedly declared its support for NATO enlargement 

and the fundamental role of NATO in transatlantic security. We recognize that 

throughout its history, NATO has succeeded not only in keeping its members free, 

but in extending that freedom to new lands that had long yearned for freedom’s 

blessings. 

Already, the three nations that joined NATO in 1999—Poland, Hungary, and the 

Czech Republic—have been contributing to the Alliance and to its operations in BosVerDate Mar 21 2002 11:27 Apr 19, 2004 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6633 Sfmt 6621 F:\WORK\EUROPE\M031704\92609 HINTREL1 PsN: SHIRL
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nia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Afghanistan. Furthermore, Poland has been a 

major contributor to Operation Iraqi Freedom and currently commands a multinational force in south central Iraq. 

The current round of enlargement—the fifth in NATO’s history—will further 

erase the dividing lines that were drawn at Yalta and further extend the zone of 

peace and security in the North Atlantic region. 

Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are already 

contributing to the Alliance, with each of these new allies contributing to one or 

more of NATO’s ongoing operations. In addition, six of them have forces on the 

ground in Iraq. 

That is far from their only contribution. Last year, as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, I traveled to all seven of these countries, and after those visits, I am confident that they and their membership will reinvigorate the Alliance. 

In fact, that new vigor is already being felt. 

Because the citizens of these new member countries have recent memories of living under repressive dictatorships, they are especially committed to NATO and its 

collective defense guarantee. 

Having fought so long and hard to gain their freedom, they know how precious 

freedom is and how fundamentally important the defense of freedom remains. They 

have pledged that they are ready to defend their freedom and ours, and we are very 

fortunate to be able to call them our allies. 

In addition to noting the accomplishments of the incoming NATO members and 

welcoming their accession to the Alliance, this resolution expresses our support for 

the remaining candidates for NATO membership: Albania, Croatia and Macedonia. 

A year ago, both houses of Congress passed House Concurrent Resolution 209, 

which stated our support for those three countries to join NATO when they meet 

the criteria for membership. Both that previous resolution and this resolution note 

the progress that those three countries have made toward that goal. All three have 

contributed forces to the NATO mission in Afghanistan, and Albania and Macedonia 

have forces in Iraq. Additionally, the resolution notes the commitment of the new 

Croatian government to implement the necessary reforms for membership in NATO 

and the European Union. 

To ensure that the enlargement process continues after the accession of the seven 

new members, the resolution recommends that the leaders of the NATO nations ‘‘review the enlargement process, including the applications of Albania, Croatia and 

Macedonia, at a summit meeting to be held no later than 2007.’’

This language is consistent with the language of the relevant communique ́ from 

the 1999 Washington Summit, at which Alliance leaders welcomed Poland, Hungary 

and the Czech Republic to NATO membership. That communique ́ called for a summit meeting to review the enlargement process to be held ‘‘no later than 2002,’’ that 

is, three years after that summit. Similarly, 2007 would be three years after this 

summer’s Istanbul Summit. 

Scheduling a 2007 enlargement summit would also establish a five-year cycle for 

NATO enlargement. Three nations received invitations in 1997 at Madrid, and 

seven nations were invited in 2002 in Prague. I believe that this is a reasonable 

timetable, one that gives the Alliance time to incorporate the seven new members 

while ensuring that the three remaining candidates are not forgotten. 

Before I turn to Mr. Wexler, I just want to inform the subcommittee that I will 

be offering an amendment making two minor changes to this resolution. 

The first change is to add wording noting the contribution that most of the new 

members are making to the operation in Iraq. 

The second change is to the date of their accession to the Alliance, which has been 

moved up a few days since I introduced this resolution, from April 2nd to March 

29th.

Mr. BEREUTER. Hearing no objection, I turn now to the distinguished Ranking Member for comments that he might like to 

make. 

Mr. WEXLER. I concur completely, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. BEREUTER. You are a good Midwesterner, a man of few 

words. 

Mr. WEXLER. Yes. 

Mr. BEREUTER. The Chair has an amendment at the desk which 

incorporates two changes to the resolution. The clerk will first report the amendment. 

25

Ms. HALLOCK. Amendment to H. Res. 558, offered by Mr. Bereuter. In the ninth clause of the preamble,——

[The amendment, offered by Mr. Beureuter, follows:]

Mr. BEREUTER. Without objection, the amendment will be considered as read, and I will explain that the first change is to add the 

wordings noting the contribution that most of the new members 

are making to the operations in Iraq. The second change is the date 

of the accession to the alliance, which has been moved up a few 

days since I introduced this resolution, from April 2 to March 29, 

and those are the two elements in the amendment. 

Is there discussion? 

Mr. WEXLER. I move the amendments. 

Mr. BEREUTER. The question, then, is on the amendments. All in 

favor will say aye. 

[A chorus of ayes.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. All opposed will say no. 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. The ayes appear to have it. The ayes do have it. 

Are there further amendments? 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. If not, the Chair will now entertain a motion that 

the resolution be reported favorably to the Full Committee, as 

amended. 

Mr. WEXLER. So moved. 

Mr. BEREUTER. I thank the gentleman. 

The question occurs on the motion to report the resolution, H. 

Res. 558, favorably, as amended. All in favor, say aye. 

[A chorus of ayes.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. All opposed, no. 

[No response.] 

Mr. BEREUTER. The motion is approved. The bill is reported favorably. And I thank my colleague for his cooperation and assistance during the hearing and in the markup. 

Mr. WEXLER. Thank you. 

Mr. BEREUTER. Thank you very much, and the Subcommittee 

stands adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 4:21 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]

Æ


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